After the Mayhem
by Classicsrule
Summary: Fear can't be completely eliminated. It can only be buried. Mike and Julie are aware of this, but at least they have one another to comfort. Warning: Extreme sappiness ahead.


"Traitor. My own daughter."

"No! Please, I didn't-I'm sorry!"

"You're not my daughter. Just as worthless as your mother."

"Dad, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

The grotesque painting of red hair and countless green eyes shifted and intersected until all the colors were melting into yellow and blue. She knew she was supposed to recognize it, but it wasn't until she heard the high pitched, reedy voice that she recoiled in horror.

"Liar! Liar! Traitor!" A sloppy clay-made Chuck stood before Julie, pointing at her with a muddy finger. Two drops of mud flew off his hand and onto the ground, encouraging more hideous colors to shape and take human form. Red and black shifted into a short but muscular man, with a rhino's horn for a nose. Purple and brown welded together to make a tall and lean teenager with a scorpion tail sticking out of his back, dripping with pink venom.

"Liar! Traitor!" The three boys chanted with distorted voices, glaring at her with hatred and spite. Their cries and shouts grew to an ear shattering volume, and at times they were so in sync that it sounded more like one person was there. It could've been her father's voice, it could've been Claire's, or even Jacob's. Julie had no idea anymore. She just hugged her legs and buried her head in her knees, praying that they'd leave or she'd grow deaf from their screams. Anything to avoid their accusatory tones.

She was past hoping that they'd forgive her. She didn't deserve any kindness. She was a liar. A traitor. How could she have believed she could keep her mask on forever? It had been slipping for ages and she just pretended everything was fine. Now she had to pay the price. Her father hated her, the Burners hated her, and now even Claire hated her. What would she do? They were her everything!

Julie realized with a start that the voices had stopped. Reluctantly, she lifted her head up to gaze at her surroundings. Everything was whirling with oranges and pinks like the sunset had had too much to drink, but she found herself calming down just a bit. She was alone. No one was there to point fingers at her or accuse her of treason.

"Jules..."

Julie's heart wrenched with dread as she bit her lip until the bitterness of blood was on her tongue. She knew that voice, but the tone was unfamiliar. It was too sad. Too dissapointed. So unlike the owner.

"Jules..."

She whimpered and closed her eyes, hoping that the voice would fade away just like the ones before it. She couldn't face him. He had trusted her the most out of everyone. He never questioned her or raised his voice at her. He was too naive and kind. Oh, why did she lie to HIM? She could've trusted him with that secret, he would've understood! The hole she dug was far too deep, and she doubted that even he would offer a hand for her to grab hold of now.

"Jules..."

A shock of cold forced Julie to open her eyes, and she froze at the sight before her.

Mike Chilton stood before her, solid and stable unlike the others. But his eyes shone with such rare hurt and sadness that just looking at them compelled Julie to tear up.

He gazed at her unblinkingly.

"Why didn't you trust me, Julie?"

She woke up gasping for breath and clutching the left side of her chest. Sweat trickled down her forehead and into her mouth, the saltiness of the liquid making her more alert. With a tired groan she checked the clock at her bedside.

Two o' clock in the morning.

"Goddamnit." Julie slammed her head into the fluffy pillow, only to lean back up seconds later after tasting the sweat and tears that drenched the object.

That had been the third nightmare in two hours. How could her brain not have tired itself out from all the stress that had happened not even twelve hours ago? Was it just determined to make sure she didn't sleep that night, or did a Terra dweller sneak in and plant a gas bomb in her room?

Suddenly tensing up, she touched the micro chip on her wrist, activating a square holographic screen. Julie's fingers flew over the screen, pressing various keys and punching in numbers until the right option showed up. Light switch: On or off? She pressed "on", and the room immediately brightened to a comforting yellow, slightly soothing Julie's nerves.

She looked around for any gas bomb...nothing but old picture frames and dirty clothes hanging around, as it had been since she'd turned in that night.

With a sigh of relief, Julie tapped the "off" switch on screen, and she was shrouded in darkness once again. Briefly she wondered if the shadow in the corner of the room was just a spider spinning a web, or a miniature Kane bot that had snuck into her room to spy on the Burners and make sure Daddy's little girl wasn't anywhere near them.

Julie performed a facepalm. It wasn't like her to be that paranoid. Those damn Terra dwellers had left a bigger impact on her than she thought. It didn't even make sense-Mike said that facing her fear was the only way to get rid of the hallucinations, so why was she still so shaken? Kane wasn't in Motorcity, he didn't know who she was, and neither did the Burners.

She chuckled dryly. How naive that thought had sounded. Of course facing her fear couldn't completely extinguish it. The only way that would happen would be if she finally grew some and came clean to everyone, and as she had told Claire many times before, that wasn't gonna happen anytime soon. She knew it would happen someday, but she'd deal with it when it came...Somehow. She hadn't really planned that far ahead to be honest.

Looking at the clock again, Julie rolled her eyes when she saw that not even five minutes had passed. If the thoughts that swarmed in her head were any indication, she wouldn't be getting sleep that night. Unless she wanted to invite another nightmare.

So with a sigh, Julie pushed herself off the bed, stretched her joints out, and left the guest bedroom.

She'd been reluctant to return to Deluxe that night. Kane was pulled out of her home for a meeting, as usual, and the idea of being all alone in her spacey room made her heart beat like a drum. She was a brave girl, but that didn't mean she never had her moments. Especially after the surreal incident that Halloween. She didn't want to be surrounded by the empty silence of Deluxe, she wanted to fall asleep to the gentle whimpers of Chuck, the obnoxious mumblings of Texas, the soft sighs of Dutch, and the peaceful snores of Mike that echoed down the hallway. So she called Kane, told him she'd be staying over at Claire's, and asked Mike if she could sleep in the garage that night. Mike had just smiled at her sympathetically and said she could stay as long as she needed.

Had she been that obvious?

"Couldn't sleep either?" It was only through months of routine that allowed Julie to not jump out of her skin as Mike, wearing only a white shirt and jeans, greeted her nonchalantly. The worst reaction he had ever recieved was a rise in the shoulders, which was exactly what she was doing.

Taking a deep breath to regain her composure, Julie faced Mike with a tired smile on her face. "Guess so. What're you doing up?"

"I was about to ask you the same question." Mike's smile was warm and familiar. Julie found herself loosening up just a bit.

"I asked first." She smirked with amusement as Mike playfully rolled his eyes. "Fine, but I'll only tell if you have some coffee with me."

Well, there went her plans of losing herself in the thrill of driving. Oh, well. It was hard to say no to Mike. He always had his way, whether it was on the battlefield, or arguing with his friends. He was cocky and confident, but never cruel, and always willing to lend an ear and give the best to his companions.

Wait...did he just say coffee?

"Since when do you have coffee?"

"Since tonight." He admitted sheepishly. Julie frowned. "Mike, you really shouldn't do that."

"Don't worry, it's not like a cigarette. Besides, I'll only have it when I need it."

"And you need it now because...?"

He smiled again. "Not telling unless you join me."

She rolled her eyes, though there was a good natured grin on her face. "Fine. C'mon."

Julie already had a feeling she knew why Mike was up like her. But she was a little doubtful to believe it. He couldn't have been as shaken up as she had been. Hell, he was the one that conquered his fear first and encouraged her and Texas to wake up from the nightmare. In fact, she'd been surprised to find out that Mike HAD a fear. She thought she'd seen every side of him. She'd seen him happy, furious, sad, and worried, but never scared. Worry was the closest she'd ever seen him get to frightened, and even then it was only worry for the Burners and nothing else.

Well, was Julie a friend or not? It was a rewarding job to find out what was bothering Mike and cheer him up. He never moped for a long period of time, and he always saw the glass as half full, so a few words and maybe a comforting hug from Julie was often the best medicine for him.

Julie tapped her finger against the concrete of the diner, wondering if Mike even knew how to make coffee. She didn't hear any curses or the sound of cups hitting the floor, so she was just going to assume that he'd learned from watching Jacob. No one else in the Burners drank coffee, and Jacob had been addicted to it since he was their age. He claimed it was because it took more than twelve hours to perfect a recipe, and that it was too late for him to quit now. Julie didn't mind as much as she used to-as Mike said, it wasn't smoking.

Mike arrived moments later with two plastic cups of steaming coffee. He held out a cup to her. "Just in case you wanted some."

Julie had never liked the taste nor the effects of coffee, but the gesture was too kind for her to refuse. She took it and gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks."

Mike took a seat next to her and sipped the scalding water. Seconds later, he pulled a face. "Bitter..." He perked up all of a sudden. "Wow, that was quick...I'm feeling more awake already." He took another, larger sip.

Julie wondered how his tongue didn't get burned off.

"You're not gonna sleep for a week if you finish that." She warned.

"On nights like this, sleep is overrated." Another sip.

Her curiosity renewed, Julie finally voiced her question as she stared at her pale face reflected against the dark drink. "So why are you up so late?"

"Oh, right, guess I should cut to the chase." He cleared his throat after taking another sip. "I guess I had a lot on my mind, y'know?"

"Like...?"

"Well...the events of tonight were really hectic-I mean, more than they usually are-, and I couldn't get these...images out of my head." He imitated Julie and stared at his reflection in the half full cup.

"Images? You mean the hallucinations from the Terra dwellers?"

"Gee, how'd you guess?" Mike asked flatly.

"I'm just smart like that." Julie replied, elbowing him playfully. Mike chuckled.

"You seemed to be fine earlier." She pointed out.

"So did you." Mike retorted. Julie shrugged awkwardly. "I thought it had all just faded from my mind, period, actually." She admitted, avoiding Mike's pitiful gaze.

"Yeah...me too. But I was stupid to think that. Fear isn't something that can just dissapear if you stand up to it. It's still there, and it always will be. Hell, I thought I'd conquered my fear months ago. Tonight just proved how wrong I was." He sighed and took yet another sip of the caffeinated drink.

It wasn't right for him to be so melancholy, Julie thought. Especially when everything was supposed to be okay now. Why couldn't that night have been like any other mission, where the villain was defeated yet again, vowed revenge, and they'd all return home to celebrate with a pizza from Antonio's and a friendly pat on the back? They'd gone through worse, more life threatening situations, and barely bat an eyelash when they thought back on it. If they'd ever been a little bit scared, they'd be more reluctant to dive into their cars and head to another mission. They knew there'd be danger, they knew there was a chance that at least one of them wouldn't make it out with a simple slap on the wrist, yet they still took a chance because they knew no one else would. The knowledge of threat always took the back seat in their minds...except for poor Chuck. His was always driving.

But Mike had just rephrased her thoughts from earlier. Facing your fear didn't conquer it, it just buried the frightening thought until it was strong enough to rise back to the surface.

"You should really try this-it's not so bad when you get used to it." Mike was staring at her expectantly, and Julie noticed that his hands were vibrating against the almost empty cup.

"Er, Mike, how many coffee beans did you grind to make that?"

"A lot." He replied happily, his eyes unusually wide and brimming with energy that rivaled a small child. Julie would've found it humorous if she wasn't the slightest bit concerned for him.

"I'm not sure if you should have anymore, Mike."

"Aw, don't worry, I'll be fine. You gonna drink that?"

"Well, no, but-," Mike snatched the now room temperature cup from Julie's hands before she could protest. She glared at him. "Mike, this isn't like you. I think you should go back to bed."

"Are you kidding?" Mike grinned with all his teeth, downing Julie's coffee in one gulp. "There's no way I could fall asleep now. I could barely even sleep earlier, what with all the nightmares I keep having...Did I say that out loud?" Mike rubbed the back of his head, his embarrassed laughter sounding eerily similar to Chuck's.

Sympathy and guilt churned in Julie's stomach. She'd always thought of herself as Mike Chilton's mind reader. She could always tell when he was down in the dumps or hurt or just...well, not himself. How could she not have noticed earlier that he had been just as traumatized and frightened as she had been? He wasn't Superman-he had plenty of weaknesses. He was just pretty damn good at bottling it up. She had yet to see an explosion, though. Oh, she'd seen him angry plenty of times, but Kane's bots were a great stress reliever for him. So he never had the chance to take the negative energy out on loved ones and regret it later, thank God.

She smiled sadly. "No more caffeine for you." She gently pried the cup out of his hand, trying not to melt under his intense gaze.

"I was scared." He whispered, his hot breath tickling Julie's skin. She shivered, but put a hand on his shoulder. "I know. We all were. I dunno what those Terra dwellers put in that stuff, but it sure did the trick."

"I don't understand." Julie's heart shattered at how broken Mike sounded. "I already knew it wasn't real. I knew I was just seeing things, but...I was still scared. I wasn't supposed to be scared. That shouldn't have even been my worst fear. I thought I'd gotten over it...I thought I'd left the past behind me. So why...?" He stared sadly into nothing. Julie now had both arms curled around his back, one hand stroking him in an attempt to calm his jittery body. She wondered briefly if he even felt her affectionate gesture.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" She asked gently.

"I did promise you, didn't I?" A bit of humor made its way back into Mike's voice. He put a hand on her own, squeezing it softly and stopping her strokes over his back. Julie prayed she wasn't blushing as she murmured, "You can tell me anything."

The two stared at each other, Julie hypnotized by Mike's trusting, friendly eyes. "I know." He whispered huskily.

Julie didn't know if it was the caffeine or Mike's characteristic boldness, but suddenly he pulled her head into his lap, apparently oblivious to her now burning cheeks and embarrassed squeak. He stared down at her with unusual tenderness and warmth, running a calloused hand through her long red hair and using his other hand to caress her cheek. Julie's eyes grew impossibly wide, trying not to shudder under his gaze or melt from the wonderful contact of his skin touching hers.

"Uh, Mike?" She winced at how strident her voice sounded. "Any particular reason you're doing this?"

"I just like to make you look silly." Mike smiled wryly.

"Bastard."

"Bitch."

The two shared a quiet laugh, thankful for the shift in the mood. It was nice to just forget the situation they were in, the events that happened moments ago, or even the inevitably dangerous days ahead of them. In that moment, they were just a couple of adolescents enjoying each other's company and ignorant of the rest of the world. As far as they were concerned, they were the sole survivors of a dying city. But as long as the other was close by, they were content.

For hours or even days, they didn't care how long, Mike just sat there with Julie's head in his lap, the caffeine slowly wearing off and leaving him drained and even more exhausted than when he arrived. But the presence of Julie was enough to keep him awake and happy, and not once did he think about the reoccurring nightmares.

Growing drowsy from Mike's soft caressing, Julie slowly shut her eyes, smiling when she heard Mike chuckle. "You're so cute, Jules."

"Mm...what's gotten into you? Don't remember you being so..." Her brain was too thick to offer her mouth the correct word, or allow blood to rush to her cheeks from the unorthodox compliment. "So..."

"Blunt?" Mike guessed.

"Whatever..." Julie didn't want to think anymore. She just wanted to stay with Mike and let him do whatever he pleased with her. She'd be too tired to protest anyway, and it was likely he'd just keep doing this...touching her in all the right places...she sighed happily.

"Guess you're not having trouble sleeping anymore, huh, Jules?" Mike's voice was growing distant and muffled, like the echo of an echo.

"Mm-hm..." She lifted a heavy arm, feeling her way toward Mike's face. She dismissed how warm his face felt and mumbled, "You can...still talk to me, y'know..."

"Nah." There was a smile in Mike's voice. "You've done enough for me. It's time I did something for you."

"What...would that..." Julie felt a finger on her lips.

"I'm already doing it." Two strong, well-built arms lifted her up and held her bridal style. She instinctively leaned her head into the crook of his neck, absorbing every layer of warmth from his body. She could've sworn for all the life of her that she was floating.

A deep and impossibly comforting voice purred in her ear, "I'll protect you from him..."

She believed him.

XXX

Julie woke up from a deep, dreamless sleep. The memories of last night came back to her slowly, and she smiled softly. She didn't know if it had been Mike's presence or his kind words, but either way it had repelled the nightmares like a charm. The only negative thought left in her head was if Mike had managed to sleep as well as she had. He'd been just as scared as she was, so why couldn't she help him?

Julie sighed and prepared to get up and apologize to Mike, but paused when she felt something around her waste. In fact, that wasn't the only thing that stopped her. Since when was her bed...green? And attached to wheels?

She rubbed her eyes before checking her surroundings, wondering why Mike had decided Mutt would be a good resting place. But before she could roll her eyes, she could hear very familiar, very peaceful snores inches away from her ear. Holding her breath in case she might shout, Julie turned toward the source.

Mike was right next to her, with his arms around her waste, sleeping with his chin on the top of her head and his legs tangled with hers.

Julie's sleep addled mind started and urged her to check if she still had clothes on. Shirt, check. Pants, check. Jacket-wait, she didn't wear a jacket. What was Mike's black and orange flamed jacket doing there? Oh, it was spread across her like a blanket...she smiled and looked back at Mike's tranquil form, gently wrapping her arms around his torso and burying her face in his chest.

A few more hours of sleep couldn't hurt.

XXX

Ugh! Cannot stop putting these two in sappy situations! HELP!

I was...pretty surprised by Mike's fear. Poor thing thought he used to be a monster? Oh, Mikey...good thing Julie's there to keep him company. :)

Also, I'm gonna keep writing stories for this fandom for quite a while. This show is, unfortunately, not as popular as it should be. No one dislikes it or anything, but so few are giving it a chance. They see this show on commercials or on the internet and just dismiss it because it's not My Little Pony or Homestuck or Dr. Who and stuff like that. But if they just gave it a shot, I know that they'd like it. If not the animation, then the characters. If not the characters, then the story. If not the story, then the animation. It just goes on and on.

My goal: to help this show gain the popularity it deserves. I know it's getting cancelled soon, but that's not gonna stop me. Other shows with only twenty episodes have been cancelled before, and just look at how big their fandom's gotten. Invader Zim is a good example of this. So, I'd like to bring in more fans and create an entirely diverse family of them, so that the fans don't just have to watch the twenty episodes of Motorcity over and over again, but also get to indulge themselves in the wonderful works of talented fans everywhere. Good luck, Motorcitizens! I'm counting on you!

And now that my geeking out, is over, please go watch the show. :D 


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